Imagining and creating a positive future beyond fossil fuels

Post navigation

Picked up the New York Times this morning at my local coffee spot and found on the opinion page a great piece titled The Endless Summer by Mark Bittman, who is perhaps better known for being a food writer. In it, he references Bill McKibben’s cover story in this month’s Rolling Stone, which hits the streets tomorrow and is already available online. It has a rather long title: Global Warming’s Terrifying New Math: Three simple numbers that add up to global catastrophe – and that make clear who the real enemy is. In his Transition PDX discussion list post, Reuben Deumling sums up McKibben’s article like this: “He’s come around to the leave it in the ground school of thought. Finally.” Without even reading McKibben’s story, I can already say I agree with Bittman, who notes, “The first page alone of the Rolling Stone article will scare the pants off you, but the chorus needs to grow bigger, louder and stronger.” Bittman bemoans the lack of American leadership in addressing the catastrophe and understands the futility of the political scene, without significant reform, and yet expresses hope that the American people can perhaps make enough noise to force some movement there. Certainly articles like these, in combination with high temperatures, fires, floods and drought, will heat up the discussion a bit.